4 Tips to Help You Write Better Poetry + resources.

How to Write Better Poetry

Wondering how to write better poetry? I can help! A few days ago, I was organizing my published and unpublished poetry. I read as I went and reading over some of the unpublished pieces I wrote last year got me thinking.

My unpublished poetry from last year was not bad. It was the best I could do at the time and I put my all into it. It had promise and emotion; it just was not focused enough. Reading it now, I know why it was rejected. That means I have learned a lot to be proud of this year.

Many of you all have asked how I learned to write the way I do. I also know many of you are poets or aspiring poets and writers and, while I am by no length a professional, I want to share some of the things that have helped me come to where I am now. I love nothing better than sharing advice.

I learned to write better poetry because I wrote.

I have been writing since before I knew what letters were. I was nine years old when I wrote my first book; it took five two-hundred-page notebooks. I wrote over one thousand pages of a Tolkien-inspired fan fiction story in multi-colored inks that have faded to date. I wrote without paragraphs and with very little appreciation for punctuation. But I wrote and my mother encouraged me by reading my creation out loud to my four younger siblings and me.

Nine years later I have written something, be it one paragraph or a word, every day of my life. I have learned of punctuation and of paragraphs. I have learned to show, not tell. I have learned to put feeling into my words. I have learned to take what is in my head and bring it gloriously to life in ink.

I learned how to write better not only by writing but also by sharing.

I shared my novel writing on Wattpad, Fictionpress, and FanFiction. I glowered at critique and negative reviews but instead of holding onto resentment, I acknowledged I have a lot to learn. I learned by studying the techniques of good writers and putting them to use in practice.

What good writers are to me

Good writers to me are not the ‘big writers’. There are not many classic books or bestsellers I care for. Good writers exist in the random books I read; in small fictions and gutting mysteries I find good writing. I find good writing in memoirs and magazines. Good writing to me is writing I read twice and love each time. Good writing is writing I remember.

The point of poetry

Poetry is something I have only recently begun to write. While it is true many of the techniques I learned writing fiction influence the way I form images and attempt to capture feelings, poetry is a free medium. Lines can be anywhere you like. You can use slashes and colons to your heart’s content. You can do anything in a poem as long as it has a point.

No one can teach you how to write, but there are practices that will help you write better. It takes practice to write well and even then, you will write badly. Writing is not something you can learn and then be done with. You have to constantly learn. Laugh over your failures, smile over your successes, and keep aspiring to new heights.

What works for me may not work for you so adjust the following advice accordingly!

4 Tips to Help you Write Better Poetry

  • Write for yourself. Write first for you. Write about what makes you smile and what makes you sing. Write about the things you cry about and the things you love about your life and home. What you write cannot help but be written in your voice. Write what you believe in and you will write strongly; your readers will sense that your words shine.

  • Learn.  Take everything you read as a learning opportunity. When you come across a piece of writing you love, take a minute to notice the voice of a poem or short story, novel or even blog post (this is not something you need to invest hours into doing; just do it with whatever you happen to be reading at the time). The voice of the writing is the voice of its writer, so it is impossible to copy, but notice the writer’s use of punctuation and words. Read poetry in books and on blogs. Find the poets who write in ways you admire and notice how they use words to form their images and feelings. Try to write a piece using the techniques you observed while the things you noticed are fresh in your mind. Most likely you will come away with a few good lines that are full of you.

  • Tell a story. In words, in feelings, but your poem wants to have a point. People read to learn something new, enjoy a good tale, or find something to connect with. Whether in three lines or a dozen, tell a story, be it a personal anecdote or fictional tale.

  • Refine. Write down your story or feelings! Let the words pour out as they come. Once the poem is done, read it over and change it as needed. Most often what I write in my notebooks changes by the time I post it or submit it for publication. Do not be afraid to rearrange or cross out lines. Start over fresh if you have to, but refine your story and progression of images and feelings until you can ‘see’ the story in your mind. My trick to editing is to not be attached to every word I write so file away good lines for future poems. Nothing is ever wasted in ink.

Some Resources to Help you Write Better Poetry

Here are some of the poets whom I first learned from. Due to their use of imagery, style, emotion, and subject matter, I still learn from among these writers.

Naturally, you may not write with publication in mind. However, it can be a lot of fun and a wonderful learning experience to try your hand at submitting to online poetry journals. You will most likely gain helpful feedback from a community that is beyond your blog readers.

Related: A Poet’s Guide To Successfully Submitting Poetry Online

I first shared my poetry and still share my poems at

The list above is by no means complete. Connect with new writers and poets and find new places to share your writing. Remember that words are endless, and learning goes on forever.

As I have said, writing is a constant learning process. For me, it is part of my lifestyle.

May the words flow!

What tips and advice have helped you along in your writing journey? Tell me below!  

Photo by Michel Catalisano on Unsplash

Love my writing? Become a patron!

You Might Also Like

28 Comments

  1. Jordanne | Ofaglasgowgirl

    What a thoroughly insightful post! I love to write poetry, well, anything for that matter as writing is an escape for me and you really are always learning. Really great tips here, writing for yourself is a huge part of it and that keeps it fun instead of feeling like it’s something you have to do.
    Jordanne || Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you so much for sharing how you use creative writing!

  2. alexfaithwrites

    These are great tips, and wonderful advice. I don’t write poetry but I found a lot of what you said very inspiring and motivating. I like to write fiction, and these tips and ideas were so useful for that too!

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you! I love that you connected with this in a writing sense. 🙂

  3. Giulia

    Thank you for sharing all of this! This is so inspiring and useful to aspiring writers. I am bookmarking this page.

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Love that you found this so helpful! May the words flow.

  4. Kelly Diane

    I really enjoyed reading this post. Writing is definitely a process that evolves and improves as we get older. You’ve mentioned some great tips too. Writing from the heart always has more feeling behind it a lot of the time.

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you, Kelly! I love how you connected with this.

  5. Unwanted Life

    An interesting insight into how you started writing. Which was nicely coupled with advice on how people can start and/or improve their writing

  6. paulykira

    Great list of tips! It’s been years since I wrote any poems, but maybe I should start again.

  7. Sophie Harriet

    I have dabbled in writing poetry in the past – I once had one of my poems read out to the whole school when I was 7 because my teacher thought it was good! I would love to write more poetry so these tips are really helpful x

    1. Jaya Avendel

      I love that you found some helpful tips here! May the words flow. 🙂

  8. barbaraleaver

    Thanks for sharing and caring. It’s always wonderful to connect with other poets!

  9. Keep Calm & Drink Coffee

    “writing is a constant learning process”
    These words of yours are a sort of Bible for me. I mean I LOVE learning as well as I love writing.
    As, you I started writing by letters, and as you I had problems with punctuation, well, no, to tell the truth i still have them!
    Everytime I read you I find so many things in common despite apparently we could seem opposite like the places in the world were we live in.
    So thanking you again and again for the extreme BEAUTY of your sharing, I take the time to enjoy deeply all the advices you linked.
    GRAZIE JAYA!!!

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Your words make my day! Thank you for sharing your appreciation and encouragement; I love that you take good advice to heart.

  10. Michele Lee

    Jaya, thank you for sharing your writing history, and your resources. This post makes my English/writing teacher heart happy. 💖 Best wishes to you on your writing and life journey. ✍🏼

    1. Jaya Avendel

      😍 Thank you, Michelle!

  11. Her

    Thanks for the insights Jaya, very inspiring post.

  12. nianni

    Nice tips. I like that you first wrote to write for yourself and what makes you smile and happy. The other tips are also important as well.

  13. Melissa Kacar

    What an inspiring read! I was reading a book the other day that said the best way to get better at writing is to keep writing everyday, whether its good or bad, just keep going and you’ll eventually see how much you have improved. That reminded me of the advice you shared as well! I always try to keep that in mind when I get uninspired or discouraged. Thanks for sharing, I absolutely loved reading this and will definitely be taking your advice! 🙂

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts and inspiration!

  14. Allegra Caro

    Those are great tips on how to write indeed. Something I think every writer should consider is keep doing it for yourself: if you focus too much on your potential readers, you will burn out in no time.

    1. Jaya Avendel

      I love your tip on writing for yourself! I too think that is very important. I might edit this to add a little bit about that. 🙂

  15. Marts

    Thanks for sharing….

  16. Navita Bhatia

    Thank you Jaya, for sharing this precious advice. I have always admired your poetic creations from the bottom of my heart. Will definitely like to read the work of other wonderful poets suggested by you😊

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you, Navita, it is lovely to hear from you again!

  17. Ingrid

    Thank you for sharing this advice, Jaya. I think most wonderful of all is your attitude to rejection as an opportunity for learning. I was so bad at taking rejection and criticism that I stopped writing for 18 years. But I found it so easy to get back into once I realised I did not need to take rejection to heart. I am glad that some of my work has now been accepted for publication, but I’m happier still that I recognise the value of what is good in my own writing.

    1. Jaya Avendel

      🙂 Learning how to handle rejection was a big part of my moving forward too. I love that you took up writing again and that you wholesomely enjoy it.

Share your thoughts!

Back to top